


Earthshine

by dreambastion



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, M/M, Mating Bond, OCs screwing things up, Sexy Times, Werewolves, there is no knotting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 11:02:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11485020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreambastion/pseuds/dreambastion
Summary: Eames is a werewolf, Arthur... isn't?





	Earthshine

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has werewolves and sex, but it does not have knotting.
> 
> This is un-beta'd, but I've run spellcheck and reread it several times - please forgive any missed errors.

When Arthur met Eames for the first time, he realized a few things in very quick succession.

First, that Eames was gorgeous…  _ in a rough, thuggish sort of way _ , he amended, all too aware that he was lying to himself as a way to tamp down on the attraction.

Second, Eames smelled good. Fucking incredible. Crisp like snow-heavy air, with a hint of cedar sharpness and wet moss. Arthur wanted to roll around in the scent until it eclipsed all his other senses.

Which brought him to his third realization - it wasn’t normal to want to roll around in a coworker’s  _ scent _ , for fucks sake, and there was no way in hell he could ever indulge in that particular desire. So before he had finished shaking Eames’ hand for the first time, he had thrown up a metaphorical brick wall between them to keep the temptation at bay. He’d rather be known as distant and professional than ruin his reputation in the field by making a fool of himself over a colleague.

+_+_+_+

When Eames met Arthur for the first time, he realized two things - the first thing right away, but the second took a little longer to sink in.

First, Arthur was different. Eames couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but there was  _ something _ about Arthur that wasn’t normal. His scent was off… not bad, just… different. And his eyes would occasionally flash gold at certain angles, like an animal’s eyes reflecting back light in the dark. He could tell that Arthur’s senses were stronger than normal by the way he reacted to things that typical humans shouldn’t notice.

Eames would have thought that Arthur was a fellow werewolf, but it wasn’t in his scent. Wolves could always recognize each other by scent; even mixed-bloods were obvious to the nose.

He wondered if Arthur was mated to a wolf. Human mates sometimes picked up extra sensory skills because of the mating bond. But Eames disregarded that option - the oddness of Arthur’s scent was coming from deep in his skin, a natural part of him. It wasn’t layered on like a mate’s smell would be.

Eames spent the whole job trying to surreptitiously get closer to Arthur to get a deeper pull of that smell into his lungs, always leaning over Arthur at his desk whenever he had to ask the point man questions, and each time Arthur would snap upright in his chair, his posture as rigid as steel, until Eames walked away.

Arthur was a puzzle that Eames wanted to solve… that is, until he came to his second realization.

By the time the job was done, Arthur had made it mercilessly clear, with his every look and reaction and cutting tone of voice, that he wanted nothing to do with Eames.

Eames left, sure in his new opinion that Arthur was an uptight asshole, and a puzzle like that wasn’t one that Eames had any intention of wasting his time on.

+_+_+_+

It took four years, seven jobs and surviving inception together before Eames finally solved the riddle of Arthur.

+_+_+_+

Ariadne trailed Arthur down the hall to the room where their mark was supposed to be asleep. She watched the hall as he silently slid a copied keycard into the lock and opened the door. After confirming no one was moving around in the room, he slipped in and she followed.

They had only made it a few steps in when he froze so suddenly she ran into him. She leaned around him to see what was wrong, but couldn’t see anything out of place in the sitting room they had entered. She could see the mark asleep on the bed in the other room.

She glanced at Arthur and was bewildered to see that he had his eyes closed and was sniffing the air. After a few seconds, he turned without a word and began hustling her back towards the hall.

Eames was coming in just as they reached the door, and Ariadne was bemused to see Eames react the same way that Arthur had. He froze, looked around, took a deep breath, and then grabbed her arm to pull her out of the room.

In the hall, she watched as Eames flashed three quick signs with his hands - two fingers in a V, the letter B and two quick taps of his fingers against his watch.

She immediately turned and walked the opposite direction down the hall, understanding their signals for splitting up and heading quickly back to the hotel room they were using as their base of operations. Arthur would take the shortest route and get there first. Eames would come in soon after him. Ariadne would wander the longest, and was only supposed to come back to the office after texting them both and getting an all clear.

She thought it was a bit overkill, but she had given up arguing with them about it.

Arthur and Eames were already packing up papers when she walked in. They were discussing how they were going to tell the client that the job was off.

“What the hell just happened?” she interrupted.

“Job is off,” Arthur replied, and she bit her tongue to keep back the ‘Captain Obvious’ remark that came to mind.

“Why?”

“The mark is pregnant, so we can’t dose her with anything,” Arthur said.

“How did you know she was pregnant?” she asked.

“Eames could smell it when he walked in,” Arthur said.

“Okay, I get that, but how did  _ you _ know?” she asked again, looking pointedly at Arthur. Eames looked at her, then Arthur, and his eyes narrowed.

“What are you talking about?” Eames asked.

“That really weird moment of deja vu back there. Arthur smelling the air and then trying to frog march me out of the room, then you coming in and doing the same thing,” she explained. Eames turned to Arthur with a quizzical expression and Arthur shrugged and kept his face turned towards his desk.

“I thought I smelled a man’s cologne. I was concerned someone else might have been in the room,” Arthur said, but his tone was almost too nonchalant.

“There was no men’s cologne in that room, Arthur,” Eames countered as he stepped closer to Arthur’s desk.

“Guess I was wrong then, but it doesn’t matter now,” Arthur replied. Ariadne watched, a bit bewildered, as Eames grasped Arthur by the arm and pulled him close.

“No more fibs now, Arthur,” Eames said and he leaned in to sniff Arthur’s hair before Arthur could react.

“Get the fuck off me!” Arthur yelled and he tried to shove Eames away.

“I’ve always known there was something different about you, but I could never figure out what it was. You’ve never been a good enough actor to hide the fact that you have heightened senses, and there is something about your scent I haven’t been able to place,” Eames said and tried to lean in again.

“You don’t need to worry about my scent. You need to fuck off,” Arthur retorted and pressed both hands against Eames’ chest. Eames growled low in his throat and Arthur glared at him.

“Don’t pull that alpha wolf bullshit with me. You think growling is going to intimidate me, asshole? I can still take you down, werewolf strength or no,” he said tersely and Ariadne stepped forward to intervene.

“You stay there, Ari,” Eames ordered in a rough voice, and she could see a bit of wolf yellow in his eyes as he told Arthur, “And you, be still and let me finally get a good sniff.”

“If you think that I’m…” Arthur started, but he trailed off when Eames bared his teeth in a snarl. Arthur finally held his hands up in surrender and Eames pressed his nose to the bare skin just behind Arthur’s ear. He took several deep breaths and then pulled away with surprised huff of laughter.

“You  _ are _ a wolf,” Eames said, and Ariadne whipped around to stare at Arthur.

“How come you never said anything?” she asked.

“I’m not a wolf. Eames has finally snapped and gone round the bend,” Arthur replied exasperatedly as he smoothed his shirtfront.

“You  _ are _ a wolf. I can tell by your scent. We recognize our own, Arthur,” Eames insisted.

“I’m pretty sure I would know if was a wolf, Eames,” Arthur retorted.

“And I’m pretty sure you’re bloody wrong. There’s a lycan specialist here in town. Go see him,” Eames said.

“I’m not wrong, and I have better things to do than hang around town for a couple of months waiting to see a specialist I don’t need,” Arthur said irritably.

“He’s a friend, I’ll get you in tomorrow,” Eames promised and Arthur shook his head and picked up his phone.

“No, and that’s the end of the discussion. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call our client.”

When Arthur had left the room, Ariadne moved to stand next to Eames.

“You’ll make sure he goes, won’t you?” she asked.

“Even if I have to hogtie and drag him there,” Eames said.

“You’ll let me know what you find out,” she stated, rather than asked, and Eames nodded with a smile and patted her shoulder.

+_+_+_+

  
  


Arthur was only partly awake when Eames came sauntering into his room the next morning.

“You can’t be serious,” he muttered as Eames helped himself to a croissant from Arthur’s breakfast tray.

“You should find hotels with rooms that are harder to break into,” Eames said as he settled into a chair and began picking at the pastry.

Arthur just sipped his coffee while he waited for Eames to get to the point of his uninvited appearance. Eames finally spoke after he had eaten half his croissant.

“I think I may have another angle to figure out the info for the client. A way to recon that doesn’t involve putting her under,” he said and Arthur sat up straighter in his chair. Any way to salvage the job was worth his attention.

“Okay. When?” he asked.

“Whenever you can get that skinny arse dressed,” Eames replied with a smirk and Arthur gave him a half-hearted glare.

“Five minutes,” he said as he went into the bedroom and closed the door.

Fifteen minutes later they were parked outside a clinic across town.

“What are we doing here?” Arthur asked.

“The mark has a lab in this building. I’ve arranged ten minutes of access to the lab computer. It’s up to your magic fingers to see how much you can figure out about her work during that time,” Eames said.

Arthur scowled; ten minutes wasn’t much, but they didn’t have many options left to to get the drug testing information their client, the mark’s competitor, was looking for.

“Let’s hope for a miracle,” Arthur said and pulled a few items from his bag that might help - a flash drive with anti-encryption software, digital camera for files, and a key card bypass.

Eames led him inside and up to the fourth floor, into what appeared to be an empty waiting room. Arthur waited by the door while Eames talked to the receptionist in a low whisper. He saw her nod and point to a door on the left side of the room. At Eames’ signal, Arthur followed him through the door and down the hall, into an office where a man in a lab coat was sitting at a desk. The man stood when he saw Eames at the door.

“Eames, you’re right on time,” the doctor said with a smile as he shook Eames’ hand.

“Thomas, good to see you again,” Eames replied, then motioned to Arthur, “This is the friend I was telling you about.”   
  
“Ah, so you’re Arthur. Great. We’re all set to run a few tests,” Thomas said and held out his hand. Arthur ignored the offered hand and turned to Eames.

“Tests, Eames?” he asked.

“Promised Ari I’d get you here, one way or another,” Eames explained with a shrug.

“Let me guess. You’re the lycan specialist he knows,” Arthur said to the doctor.

“I am, yes. Eames said you would be reluctant, but I didn’t realize he was going to blindside you to get you here,” Thomas said with an apologetic grimace.

“Don’t worry about it, Doctor. Lies are something I’m all too familiar with when it comes to Eames.”

“If you’d rather not, it is completely your choice,” Thomas added.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Arthur said and spun on his heel to leave. Even for a wolf, Eames could move abnormally fast when he wanted to, so he was blocking the door before Arthur had taken two steps.

“Get the fuck out of my way,” Arthur ordered, and his hand twitched towards his gun. Eames shook his head and squared his shoulders, his posture screaming that he was ready to fight for this, if he had to.

“You need to find out for sure, Arthur, and you know I’m right,” Eames said with a stubbornness that Arthur recognized from the many times they had butted heads during jobs. 

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” he asked. Eames shook his head again and Arthur sighed. 

“Fine. Let’s get this over with,” Arthur said to Thomas, who motioned for them to follow him down the hall.

“We’ll start with bloodwork, and while the lab is processing that we’ll do some x-rays and an MRI,” he explained as they left the office.

+_+_+_+

Two hours later, Arthur stared at the doctor, disbelief clear on his face as he squeezed his totem tight in his hand and mentally recounted everything he had done since calling their client the day before.

“But… how can I be half wolf and not know? Are you positive?” he asked when he was sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“I wouldn’t testify to it in court without a DNA test to back me up, but you exhibit all the signs of being a latent wolf,” the doctor explained, “The genes are there, but suppressed. It doesn’t happen often, but it isn’t unheard of. Do you know anything about the older generations in your family? Do you know of any wolves?”

“I only know my mother’s side, and as far as I know there aren’t any wolves there. I never knew my father or his family,” Arthur replied and the doctor nodded.

“It likely came from the paternal side then. It only takes a small amount of lycan in the bloodline to pass. As you may have already figured out, latents have heightened senses and some other side effects, but they do not shift and do not have any of the more animalistic characteristics that werewolves are known to exhibit.”

“What side effects?” Eames asked.

“Insomnia around the full moon, faster metabolism which can affect body mass and cause a slight resistance to drugs and alcohol, physical manifestations such as greater agility and strength, though you won’t match a shifting wolf in that regard.”

Arthur turned that over in his mind for a few minutes, thinking back over his life and realizing that the pieces fit too well for the doctor to be wrong.

“Yusuf complains about not being able to use me as a test subject with his compounds. And I always chalked the insomnia up to our line of work,” Arthur admitted.

“You’ve always been one of the best  _ human _ fighters I’ve ever known, and I recognized your stronger senses years ago,” Eames added.

“Is there anything else I should know about?” Arthur asked the doctor.

“Well, you’re an alpha… or you would be, but since you never shifted, you never reached full strength,” the doctor said. Arthur couldn’t stop his sharp laugh in response.

“Well, that would certainly explain a few things about us,” he said to Eames

“A  _ few _ ? That explains a whole hell of a bloody lot, Arthur,” Eames agreed with a rueful grin.

Arthur stood and picked up his jacket, ready to get out of the suddenly claustrophobic exam room. The doctor fidgeted with the charts and cleared his throat, and Arthur felt a wave of apprehension roll through him.

“What? What haven’t you told me?” he asked and the doctor winced.

“Well… another effect of being a latent is that you can have a mating bond,” the doctor began to explain, and out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Eames snap to attention.

“Okay, so I can have a mating bond…” Arthur prompted the doctor to continue.

“In your case it isn’t so much that you can have one, but rather that you already do… the beginning of one, anyway. Your MRI shows that the portion of the brain tied to the bond has been active in the past.”

“What does that mean, active in the past?” Eames asked. The doctor looked at Arthur when he answered.

“You have to understand that latents are not common, so not a lot of study has been done on them. And even fewer of those are latents who had mated with another wolf. When a mating bond occurs in wolves, it appears on the scans as activity in two portions of their brain, with connecting synapses. In humans, it only shows in one location in the brain. Your’s shows in two, but there is no connecting synapses,” the doctor paused, but Arthur motioned for him to continue.

“Mating bonds begin to form based on attraction, and a sort of sixth sense about compatibility. As the two individuals get to know each other, the bond deepens and the brain activity increases. While wolves do typically mate for life, it isn’t a love at first site, only one mate in the world scenario. At any time, one of the potential mates could walk away and the bond would eventually fade, and they may meet other potential mates later. If they choose to complete the bond, and become mates, it has to be consciously acknowledged by both. While some sort of physical act is not required, it is often reported that it completes the bond more quickly.”

“What does this have to do with past activity?” Eames interrupted.

“Quiet, Eames,” Arthur snapped. The doctor cleared his throat and continued.

“I am making an assumption here, based on my medical experience, but understand that I could be wrong. We just don’t have enough prior data to be sure.” Arthur nodded and the doctor said, “I believe that at some point in your past you met a wolf with whom there was enough attraction that the bond began to form. You rejected the bond, but you didn’t reject it completely. It’s there, but faint.”

“How long does it normally take for bonds to fade?” Arthur asked and the doctor shrugged.

“In normal cases, no more than a year, usually. Have you met any new wolves recently?”

“Not in the last few years, no,” Arthur told him.

“Look, I could be way off base here, but it’s odd that there is no connective activity between the two bond portions. I’m veering drastically out of medical expertise and making a guess based on what I know of wolves, but to me it looks like even though you rejected the bond, you are also subconsciously keeping it alive,” the doctor admitted as he nervously shuffled the papers in his hand.

“So some part of me wants to be with this person,” Arthur commented.

“Like I said, that’s my best guess.”

“How would I know who this person is? I mean, if I saw them again, how would I recognize them as a potential mate?”

“A reaction to their scent is always the first strong clue,” the doctor said and it took all of Arthur’s self-control not to turn and look at Eames.

“Do you know many wolves?” the doctor asked.

“Only a handful.”

“Well, it may be worth spending some time with each of them, if possible. That is, if you’re interested in figuring out the bond,” the doctor suggested.

Arthur shook the doctor’s hand and thanked him for his time. Eames followed him out of the clinic and to the car, where Arthur tossed him the keys.

“You take it back to the hotel. I need to take a walk and think about… all of this,” Arthur told him.

“Look, Arthur, I…”

“Not now, Eames. I’ve got too much swirling around in my brain. I need to sort it out.”

Eames relented and got in the car, leaving Arthur standing on the sidewalk as he drove away. Arthur walked, mulling over everything he had learned and trying to parse out all the data he’d just received.

Eames was, of course, the first wolf that came to mind as his potential mate. Arthur had never forgotten the visceral reaction he’d had to Eames’ scent the first time they’d met. He’d kept his distance over the years and had pushed the attraction down until it was ignorable. Unfortunately, that fit perfectly with the doctor’s guess about why the bond was in the condition it was in. Arthur wasn’t sure if that thought pleased him or not.

However, he did know other wolves, so Eames wasn’t a foregone conclusion.

There was Bennett, his grandparent’s lawyer, but Arthur didn’t seriously consider him for even a moment. Bennett was twice his age and had been mated to his wife for as long as Arthur’s family had known him. And while Arthur remembered Bennett’s scent - dusty old books, warm bourbon and sweet roses - he had never had a strong reaction to the scent other than nostalgia because it reminded him of his grandparents.

His old army friend Jackson was a wolf. He hadn’t spoke to Jackson in a few years, not since before he had gotten into dreamshare. They’d been good friends while in service together, but Arthur didn’t remember there being any attraction between them.

Janice was an extractor that he and Eames had both worked with a few times. He barely knew her beyond the background info he needed to vouch for her work, but he knew she was a wolf.

And then there was Marcus, the security firm owner that he had worked with for a few years after the army. There had definitely been attraction with Marcus, but they had never acted on it. And he could still conjure a sense memory of the first time he’d gotten close enough to smell Marcus and had picked up the notes of dark vanilla, leather and cinnamon.

Arthur sighed and kept his head down as he continued to walk through the park between the doctor’s office and his hotel.

He had two options. He could forget the whole thing and go about life as he always had, because it didn’t change anything, not really. Or he could make an effort to spend time with his wolf acquaintances to see if any of them really were his mate.

He finally made his way back to his room and wasn’t particularly surprised to see Eames sitting in an armchair, waiting for him.

“Are you ever going to stop breaking into my rooms?” he asked.

“Thought you might need to talk,” Eames replied. Arthur dropped into another chair and ran a hand through his hair.

“On one hand it all means nothing. I’ve always been a latent, now I just know it, so nothing is going to change.”

“And on the other hand you’re partially bonded to someone and you don’t know who it is,” Eames added.

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to do anything about the bond?” Eames asked.

“I think so. I only know five wolves, and two of them I can mark off the list right off the bat,” Arthur said.

“Which two?”

“An old family friend that is old enough to be my grandfather. And you. I think it’s pretty obvious we aren’t bonded,” Arthur said, more harshly than intended.

“And thank bloody hell for that. You’re not hard on the eyes, but you definitely aren’t the type of person I would relish being stuck with for the rest of my life,” Eames replied, but his haughty look and cutting remarks couldn’t mask the flash of hurt Arthur saw in his eyes.

“Glad we agree on that one,” Arthur retorted and stood to pour himself a drink. When he sat back down he continued, “I’ll swallow my pride and reach out to the others, explain the situation and see if they’re interested in testing the possibility. I have a beach house rented already because I was going to take some time off this summer, so I’ll see if they want to come for a visit.”

“Think that will be enough?” Eames asked.

“Thomas implied that I would know pretty quick if I was around them again, so it should,” Arthur replied. Eames just nodded and stood, setting his empty glass on the table. He paused by Arthur’s chair and rested his hand on Arthur’s shoulder for a moment.

“If you need anything, let me know,” Eames said. Arthur laughed and looked up at Eames.

“One would almost think you cared.”

“It’s purely in my own best interests to make sure you remain sane and in one piece. I’d hate to have to train a new point man.”

“Get the hell out of my goddamn hotel room, Eames.”

Eames left without argument as Arthur stared out the window, the warmth from Eames’ hand still lingering on Arthur’s shoulder.

+_+_+_+

The doorbell of the beach house rang and Arthur jerked, the sound unexpected in the silence of the house. He reached into the suitcase he had been unpacking and pulled a pistol from under a stack of shorts. He checked the chamber and crept through the house, listening and checking the windows.

His first guest wasn’t due for two days, so there was no reason anyone should be at his front door. He had just made it to the entry hall when he heard a voice call out from the porch.

“Put the gun away and answer the door, Arthur, it’s just me,” Eames yelled. Arthur paused for a moment, then stomped to the door and flung it open.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Eames?” he snarled.

“Thought I’d come hang out with you while you interviewed your prospective significant others.”

“Why the fuck would I want you around?”

“I understand wolf behavior better than you do, and even with all your contacts I guarantee you I can get info on a fellow wolf that you can’t,” Eames explained.

“Eames… these are all people I already know. It’s not a blind date where I need a fucking chaperone watching over my shoulder!”

“I’m already here, so let me in.”

“Fuck no. That is ridiculous. I’m not some fainting damsel that needs your protection,” Arthur argued, but Eames just got that stubborn look on his face.

“Well, you could shoot me, but then you have to find a way to dispose of the body, and make up a story for Ariadne and Dom, because they both know I’m here. Or you could call the cops and have me arrested, but that could cause some questions that you probably don’t want to answer,” Eames suggested, and while Arthur was sorely tempted to go with the first idea, he knew he was on the losing side of the argument.

“Unfuckingbelievable. Fine. But you stay the hell out of my way, got it?” Arthur relented. Eames nodded his agreement and Arthur stepped aside to let him in.

“Which one of them told you were I was staying?” Arthur asked, knowing it had to be Dom or Ariadne.

“Both,” Eames replied and Arthur muttered another string of curses under his breath about meddling friends.

+_+_+_+

Janice was the first to come to the beach house. She arrived on a Wednesday morning, and by Thursday at lunch she was gone.

Arthur had invited her for a walk on the beach so they could talk and start getting to know each other. It had become apparent by the end of the first hour that they would never suit each other. They agreed she should stay the night instead of trying to drive home, so he took her out to dinner as he had planned, and found that despite not being his mate, she was witty and intelligent and he enjoyed her company.

Eames had done as promised and stayed out of the way while she was there, but he cornered Arthur as soon as she was gone.

“Well, that was a short visit,” he said and Arthur nodded without looking up from his crossword.

“We knew right away we weren’t mates. Actually, I think we both knew before she even agreed to come. She’s nice, though,” Arthur explained as he chewed on his pencil eraser and studied the clues.

“Why did she come then?”

“Because she’s smart and knows how to work all available angles.”

Eames studied him with a curious expression, so Arthur put down his pencil and pushed his paper aside.

“She’s a decent extractor, but no one is beating down her door trying to line up jobs,” Arthur began and he saw the understanding dawn in Eames’ eyes.

“So on the off chance that just maybe you were mates, it would be quite the feather in her cap to be tied to you,” he added.

“And worst case, she got a day at the beach and hopefully a better in with me next time I’m looking at job candidates,” Arthur concluded and reached for his pencil again, but Eames grabbed his hand before he could pick it up.

“Come on, let’s walk into town for ice cream,” Eames suggested and Arthur glanced at the clock.

“It’s not even lunch yet,” he said, gently trying to tug his hand from Eames’ insistent and warm grip.

“The ice cream parlor is open, I checked out the hours yesterday when I was wandering around town getting the lay of the land,” Eames said as he let go of Arthur’s hand with a light brush of his fingers..

“Well, I am on vacation,” Arthur agreed with a smile, and when Eames returned his smile, Arthur felt a flutter in his chest that he steadfastly ignored.

+_+_+_+

Even when there was no one in the house but the two of them, Eames had kept to the agreement to leave Arthur alone. But the quiet of his room got to him, and he knocked on Arthur’s door the next evening. When Arthur opened the door, hair still damp from a shower he had taken after his mid-afternoon swim, Eames was caught off-guard by the heat that pooled in his gut, and the need to reach out and brush Arthur’s curling hair behind his ear.

“Thought you might like to head into town and get a drink,” Eames said and Arthur seemed to consider it for a moment, then shook his head.

“I’m not in the mood to deal with the tourists in town. I was going to make some popcorn and watch a horror movie marathon that’s on tonight. But we could throw in a few beers and you could join me, if you want,” Arthur offered. Eames hadn’t realized that he was tense until he felt his shoulders relax at Arthur’s suggestion.

“Sounds great. Give me a minute to change and I’ll start the popcorn,” Eames agreed and he managed to hide his smile until he was back in the privacy of his room. He changed into comfortable lounging clothes and went to the kitchen. Arthur was already there, bottle opener in hand as he pulled two cold beers from the refrigerator.

“Horror movie marathon, huh?” Eames asked as he loaded the kernels into the popper.

“Classic horror movies. Nosferatu, Dracula, Frankenstein, Invasion of the Body Snatchers… movies like that.”

“Nothing beats the classics,” Eames said as he took one of the beers and grabbed bowls for their popcorn.

They got settled on the couch just as the first movie started, chatting a bit about the movies and other favorite things like books and music. Eames was somewhat surprised at how relaxed and easy the conversation was, and how freely Arthur shared information about himself.

The conversation eventually died off as they both began to get drowsy and succumbed to the lulling effect of the black and white pictures on the screen. He didn’t know which one of them fell asleep first, but he woke up briefly a couple of hours later and they were both tilted to the right, Eames with his head on a couch pillow and Arthur with his head on Eames’ calf.

Eames carefully worked his way out from under Arthur and stood to stretch. For a brief moment he considered trying to carry Arthur to his room, but dismissed that as soon as it came to mind because he had no interest in being beaten with a popcorn bowl.

He didn’t want to wake Arthur, so instead he managed to tuck a pillow under his head and a blanket around his body. Then he gave in to the earlier desire to brush one of Arthur’s curls behind his ear before making his way to his own room. Sleep returned quickly once he settled in bed, the scent of Arthur still in his nose.

+_+_+_+

“Dude, this is what you call a little vacation getaway?” Jackson exclaimed when Arthur opened the front door of the beach house.

“Jack! It’s been too long, man!”

Jackson wrapped Arthur up in a tight hug full of back slaps while Eames watched from the other side of the room and forced himself not to growl. He’d never seen Arthur openly affectionate with anyone except Ariadne, and he found that he didn’t like it one little bit when it was someone other than their architect.

“Now, Artie, you know the odds of us being mates is pretty much zip, right?” Jackson said when he finally released Arthur.

“Yeah, I know, but I also know it’s been too long since we saw each other, and that you would never turn down free sand, sun and beers,” Arthur replied with a laugh.

“You know me so well,” Jackson said and nodded to Eames, “Who’s your friend?”

“A co-worker who is also an alpha wolf. He appointed himself my chaperone during this endeavor, and since other people in our business wouldn’t take kindly to me dumping him offshore and hoping he can’t swim, I figured I’d let him hang around,” Arthur said with a smirk in Eames’ direction.

“He is aware that you know about a thousand ways to hurt someone, right?” Jackson asked with a chuckle.

“I’m aware,” Eames interjected. When Jackson narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, studying him, Eames knew that the other wolf had detected the slight challenge in his tone. Jackson wasn’t an alpha, but he looked strong and he obviously knew how to handle himself; push come to shove, though, Eames knew he could take him.

Jackson bowed his head slightly, a subtle wolf way of admitting when another wolf was superior. Eames let his shoulders relax and offered a slight smile in return.

Jackson dropped his bag and clapped his hands together as he said, “Alright, where are those beers you promised?”

+_+_+_+

Jackson stayed for three days. He and Arthur sat on the deck and reminisced, drinking beers and catching up on each other’s lives over the last few years. They played football with other people on the beach and took turns fixing dinner with the grill to see who could cook the better steak. They included Eames in most of their time together, though he tended to stick to the edges to allow them time to rekindle their friendship.

The evening that Jackson left, he caught Eames alone as he carried his bag out to his car.

“Look, man, I know it’s not really my business, seeing as how I don’t know you from Adam, but what’s the hold up with you two?” Jackson asked Eames quietly while he kept an eye on the door for Arthur to return.

“Not sure what you’re talking about, mate,” Eames replied.

“Yeah, you do. You two have already started bonding, so why is he inviting other wolves out to his beach house for date nights?” Jackson said and Eames stared out towards the ocean.

“Arthur and I have known each other for over four years, and we’ve worked together enough that you might call us friends… on a good day. But we’re not right for each other as mates, so there is no bond,” Eames said. His breath caught a little as he said it and a twinge of desire raced along his nerves at the thought of  _ Arthur _ and  _ mate _ .

“Uh-huh. Sure. You keep telling yourself that, pal,” Jackson retorted as Arthur came to see him off. They said their goodbyes, and when Jackson’s car disappeared down the driveway, Eames made excuses and disappeared into his room and closed the door.

Could he and Arthur be mates? He thought back to the first time they had met. He’d thought Arthur was a little on the thin side, and his hair was too severe the way he slicked it back, but Eames had still wanted to crowd him up against a wall and suck a mark on his neck. And Arthur’s scent… warm, rich and a little spicy, amber with notes of vanilla and cloves.

But Arthur had made it clear that he wasn’t interested. Hell, he’d been making it clear since the first time they ever shook hands. And while Eames had many faults and vices, being a glutton for that kind of punishment wasn’t one of them.

He couldn’t deny, though, that it had been jealousy he’d felt whenever he saw Jackson throw a friendly arm around Arthur’s shoulders. And he couldn’t deny that he was dreading the arrival of the last wolf on Arthur’s list, Marcus.

There was something about the way Arthur’s expression changed when he mentioned Marcus. Of the wolves Arthur had invited, Eames could tell that Arthur thought Marcus might be the one, and it made his skin crawl to think of the other man being under the same roof.

Eames had hoped to find some kind of dirt on Marcus to dissuade Arthur, but none of his contacts had come up with anything that Eames could use to put a wedge between them.

He dropped on the bed and covered his face with a pillow to muffle his groan. The more he thought about it, the more he had to be honest with himself that he hoped he was Arthur’s mate, as much of a pipe dream as that may be.

He tossed and turned for hours before finally falling asleep to the sound of the waves outside and agonizing thoughts of Arthur and Marcus on his mind.

+_+_+_+

“You look like shit,” Arthur greeted Eames the next morning.

“Lovely, that matches how I feel then,” Eames replied tiredly.

“What did you think of Jackson?” Arthur asked as Eames fixed a cup of coffee.

“Nice enough bloke. You two are obviously good pals,” Eames said.

“Yeah, we were in basic training together, ended up deployed in the same unit.”

“Anything stick out to you about either of your first two suitor’s scents?” Eames asked.

“Not really. Janice was lavender and citrus, and it made my nose itch like I needed to sneeze. Jackson smelled just like I remembered - salt air, lime and metal.”

“So it’s definite that neither is your mate,” Eames said.

“Definitely not either of them,” Arthur agreed.

“Which just leaves your last visitor. Marcus, was it?” Eames asked, keeping his tone casual.

“Marcus seems the most likely, but I guess I’ll know for sure in a few days,” Arthur said as he walked outside with his coffee. Eames stayed in the kitchen and forced down the feeling of angry denial that filled his chest.

+_+_+_+

Arthur was sitting on the dark porch, listening to the ocean and watching the moonlight reflect off the waves, when Eames came out and started down the steps to the beach.

“Going for a walk?” Arthur asked and Eames hesitated.

“Actually, I was going to go for a run, and maybe a swim,” Eames said.

“Want some company?”

“Well… I was planning to shift,” Eames explained.

“Oh. Would you prefer not to have anyone around then?”

“I don’t mind, just wasn’t sure if you would…”

“No, I don’t mind,” Arthur quickly assured him.

“Ok. Well then…” Eames trailed off and stared at a spot over Arthur’s shoulder.

After the easy camaraderie they had been developing over the last week since coming to the beach house, Arthur felt like they had somehow been jarred out of sync. He cleared his throat and slipped off his shoes and socks. He stood and rocked back on his heels, watching Eames expectantly.

“I need to strip to shift, so I’ll just head down to the sand first, yeah?” Eames finally said. Arthur was glad for the dark of the porch that hid the blush that spread across his cheeks.

“Sure, I’ll give you five minutes,” Arthur said and Eames disappeared into the shadows. Arthur waited several minutes, then made his way down the path between the rows of beach grass at the edge of the property. He rounded a dune and stopped short, his breath caught in his throat.

Eames the wolf stood watching him, ears twitched forward and his tail held high. He was a mostly dark wolf, with amber colored eyes that watched Arthur intently. The moonlight glinted off the silvery strands of fur mixed throughout his coat.

Arthur held his hand out in front of him and approached Eames, who stood still and calm as Arthur slowly advanced. When he got close enough to touch him, Arthur slid his fingers through the thick fur and Eames tilted his head into the caress.

“Soft,” Arthur whispered and there was a woof of agreement from Eames. After another moment of Arthur scratching between his ears, Eames backed away and crouched, his mouth open in a wolf grin and his tail wagging side to side.

“All right, let’s play,” Arthur said with a laugh and Eames took off at a run towards the water’s edge with Arthur dashing to keep up.

Arthur lost track of how long they ran and swam in the moonlight. It had never crossed his mind to want to be a wolf; now, knowing that he was at least part of what Eames was, it made his heart ache to realize that he could never run with the freedom that Eames did.

He didn’t say anything, but as they lay on the sand catching their breath, his head pillowed on Eames’ side, the wolf must have sensed his thoughts. Eames curled tighter around him and rested his long nose on Arthur’s shoulder, his breath huffing warmly across Arthur’s cheek.

Arthur sighed and stared up at the moon, seeing it with new eyes, and wondering what the next few days would mean to his future.

+_+_+_+

“Arthur, you are still as devastatingly handsome as the last time I saw you,” Marcus said when he walked in the next evening.

“And you’re still just as full of shit as you ever were,” Arthur countered with a warm smile. He could see Eames standing in the door to his room, a scowl on his face until he realized Arthur was watching him and he let a fake smile slip into place. Marcus noticed him then, too, and quirked a brow at Arthur.

“I didn’t realize we would be a threesome,” he said.

“Eames is just staying a couple of days,” Arthur said, keeping the details for  _ why _ Eames was there to himself. He might not have a full wolf’s senses, but he’d picked up on Eames’ jealousy when Jackson was at the house, though it had tempered by the end of his visit.

But today was different. Eames had obviously been on edge since that morning when Arthur had reminded him about Marcus’ arrival. And now he was all but bristling as he stood staring at the other wolf. Arthur knew that Marcus was also an alpha, and he just hoped he didn’t have to clean up any blood before the visit was over.

Eames stared at Marcus for several seconds, his jaw clenched tight enough that the muscle twitched. Finally he looked at Arthur and gave a curt nod, then disappeared into his room.

“He’s intense,” Marcus commented as Arthur took a deep, relieved breath.

“He can be, yes,” Arthur replied and then quickly changed the subject, “I wasn’t sure what time you would be here, so dinner is a simple salad and some shrimp.”   
  
“Throw in a beer and it sounds like heaven,” Marcus said with a smile, and he let his hand slide over Arthur’s lower back as he walked by. Arthur shivered and took another breath to catch Marcus’ scent. He frowned a little and pulled in a deeper drag of air as he followed Marcus to the kitchen.

Marcus smelled like Arthur remembered, but it wasn’t producing the physical reaction that it used to. Marcus was attractive, and Arthur wasn’t averse to the idea of sleeping with him, but his scent didn’t send a flare of desire through him like it had in the past.

+_+_+_+

By the third night that Marcus was there, Eames felt like he was going to burst with the need to challenge the other alpha wolf and run him out of his territory… and away from Arthur. But out of respect for Arthur, he’d kept his distance, though it was slowly killing him to do so.

Arthur and Marcus had been thick as thieves since he arrived; never more than a foot of space between them, and Marcus constantly reaching out to touch Arthur in some way. They had only separated when it was time for sleep, and Eames was surprised that Marcus had stayed away then.

They had gone out to dinner, and when they returned Arthur had seemed so… content. They had changed their shoes and left for a night walk on the beach, and Eames decided that he had put himself through enough torture. It was clear enough that Marcus and Arthur were likely to bond, and Eames didn’t trust himself to be in the same state when that happened. He threw all of his things into his bag and slipped away while they were gone. He didn’t bother to leave a note; he didn’t really think Arthur would care.

+_+_+_+

Marcus held Arthur’s hand as they walked back to the beach house. Arthur was looking at the house, wondering if Eames had already gone to bed because there were no lights on, so he didn’t realize at first that Marcus had stopped until he felt a tug on his hand. He turned to see what had happened and Marcus’ lips were on his before he could speak.

The kiss was just the right side of rough, and when Marcus tugged on Arthur’s hair to tilt his head, Arthur felt a tremble run down to his toes. He let Marcus lead the kiss, waiting for that sixth sense awareness to kick in, willing the bond to settle in place, and though the kiss was enough to leave him a little breathless, there was…

“Nothing,” Marcus said as he pulled away, “You?”

Arthur frowned and shook his head.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d have sex with you in a heartbeat, but there is definitely no bond,” Marcus added and Arthur laughed as the awkward tension drained out of him.

“I thought it was going to be you, but…” Arthur trailed off as Marcus gave him a speculative look.

“Did you really?” Marcus asked.

“You were the last one, so I just assumed.”

“What about your friend Eames? Based on his reaction to me, I got the impression there is more than just friendship there. To be honest, I’m amazed at his self-control. He’s wanted to tear me limb from limb since I arrived,” Marcus said.

“No, he’s made it clear I’m not his type,” Arthur told him.

“Oh? Was that before or after  _ you _ made it clear he wasn’t  _ your _ type?”

“What do you mean?” Arthur asked. Marcus thought for a moment before answering.

“Did you know, I thought you hated me for the first month we worked together? It wasn’t until I got to know you better that I realized that you were attracted to me, but were determined to keep me at a distance,” Marcus explained.

“And you think I pushed him so far away he won’t admit he wants me out of, what… self-preservation?”

“Wouldn’t be the strangest thing I’ve seen happen between two people who are attracted to each other,” Marcus said and threw an arm around Arthur’s shoulders as they walked back to the house. When Arthur didn’t respond, Marcus continued, “I’ll head out in the morning. I suggest you spend some quality time with Eames. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what happens.”

“Eames often surprises me, but it’s rarely pleasant,” Arthur replied and Marcus laughed.

“You wouldn’t want to be with someone who didn’t keep you on your toes, Arthur. You’d be bored out of your mind otherwise.”

+_+_+_+

After Arthur saw Marcus off the next morning, he knocked on the door to Eames’ room. When he received no response, he opened the door and looked around the empty room, somehow not surprised that Eames had left without a word.

He wondered again if he had been denying the obvious answer, that Eames was his mate. He would have thought that Eames wouldn’t have given up so easily, if that was the case. Eames had always struck him as the type to take what he wanted, so why wouldn’t he have stepped in and staked his claim?

Arthur sighed and closed the door. Maybe the whole process had just been a blind shot in the dark. For all he knew, he could have met a dozen other wolves in his life and never known what they were. And if he had lived this long without a mate, he could keep right on doing so.

He wasn’t sure how to react to the nagging feeling of emptiness brought on by that thought.

+_+_+_+

“So when is this scheduled for? I have a few other things in the works and I need to make sure I don’t have a conflict,” Eames said to Dom as they discussed an upcoming job over the phone.

“It’s a month out, though we could push it to two if we needed. I really want a forger on it, so I can be flexible if it means you’re in,” Dom replied. He paused, but before Eames could say anything else, Dom added, “Hang on a second, Arthur is asking me something.”

Eames clenched his hand around the phone and breathed through the sudden yearning he felt at hearing Arthur’s voice filtering through Dom’s end of the call.

When Dom came back on, they finished discussing the details of the job, and then Eames casually asked, “So how is mated life treating Arthur? I know it’s only been a couple months, so they’re probably still in their honeymoon phase.”

“Mated life?” Dom asked, confusion clear in his tone.

“Yeah, to Marcus,” Eames said.

“Oh, right. They aren’t mated.”

“What?” Eames asked and froze in the middle of his room. He heard Dom mutter something, and then the sound of a door closing, and then Dom spoke again, more quietly.

“Marcus wasn’t his mate. Arthur says he doesn’t know who his mate is, and doesn’t care, but I can tell he’s lying on both counts. So I’m going to do something that I will deny to the death if ever asked. I’m going to text you the address of where we’re working right now, and I suggest you get your ass on the next plane here.”

“What?” Eames asked again dumbly and he heard Dom sigh.

“You know you’re his mate. He knows you’re his mate. Fuck, even  _ I _ know you’re his mate. So do something about it.”

Eames heard silence as the call disconnected, and he was still staring wide-eyed at his phone when it beeped that he had a message. True to his word, Dom had texted him the address.

_ Okay, Eames, time to man up _ , he told himself as he took a deep breath and booked a plane ticket.

+_+_+_+

Arthur had his head down, pouring over phone transcripts, when he heard Dom cheerfully call out, “Oh, hey there Eames!”

Arthur spun around in his chair and his breath caught in his chest when he saw the determined glint in Eames’ eyes as he crossed the room in long strides. Arthur stood, turned to face Eames and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Eames didn’t answer, just stepped right into Arthur’s personal space and crowded him back against his desk. He grasped Arthur’s face in both hands and pressed their lips together in a kiss that had Arthur trembling as a raging wash of  _ need _ slammed through him. He grabbed Eames’ lapels and hauled him even closer, then tilted his head to deepen the kiss and was rewarded with an approving rumble deep in Eames’ chest.

The kiss was fierce and demanding, and Arthur never wanted it to end. A single thought filtered through the lust hazing his mind, and with that thought, he felt something break loose inside, like a rubber band stretched too far.

_ Mine. _

Arthur almost fell over under an onslaught of  _ needminetastemateclaim _ .

“What the fuck?” he gasped out and Eames’ hands shook as he tried to steady them both.

“Feedback loop from the bond forming. We’ll learn to mute it, but I’ve always heard it can be pretty intense at first,” Eames whispered against Arthur’s neck as he nosed aside his collar to suck a mark in the pale skin. Arthur shuddered and couldn’t help the jerk of his hips.

“I will be the first to say it’s about fucking time, but you two need to take this elsewhere before it becomes not workplace appropriate,” Dom said. Arthur showed him his middle finger and Dom laughed, but Arthur knew he was right.

“My hotel is just up the street,” Arthur whispered and Eames nodded with a whimper as he grabbed Arthur’s hips and pulled them flush to his own.

“We’re ahead of schedule, so why don’t you two take a couple of days. We’ll be fine without Arthur until then,” Dom suggested. Arthur and Eames both flashed him grateful looks as they all but dashed out the door.

+_+_+_+

“We aren’t ahead of schedule,” the team’s architect stated as soon as Arthur and Eames were gone, disapproval clear in her voice.

“No, we aren’t,” Dom agreed as he turned his attention back to the notes spread out on his desk.

“So why did you tell Arthur he could leave?”

“One, because I didn’t want to watch them have sex on the floor. Two, because I know that when Arthur comes back he will work twice as hard to make up for it, because he knows we aren’t really ahead of schedule. And three, because Eames will come back with him,” Dom explained.

“Why would Eames come back?”

“Because they’re newly mated and Eames won’t want to let Arthur out of his sight.”

“And just how does that help us?” she pressed.

“Because Arthur won’t make it half an hour before he gets fed up with Eames sitting around doing nothing, and he’ll put Eames to work. Eames will put on a show of being a pain about it, but he’ll do it anyway because it means getting the job done faster and getting Arthur to himself for a while,” Dom told her without looking up from his papers, his tone carrying the fatherly patience of explaining something that should be obvious.

“What makes you so sure Eames will fall in line? I thought he was an alpha wolf.”

Dom glanced at her with a look that was just a shade short of outright condescension.

“It’s cute how you think that means anything at all to Arthur.” He reminded himself that she was fairly new to the business and so didn’t know better… yet.

“It sounds like you know them pretty well. You’ve worked with them a lot?” she asked. Dom’s eyes lost focus as he stared past her for a breath, then two, before shaking his head free of memories and picking up a page from his desk.

“We’ve created worlds and destroyed empires together,” he said with a soft smile, then dismissed the subject by handing her a drawing, “Let’s talk about this building…”

+_+_+_+

They barely made it inside Arthur’s hotel room before Eames was simultaneously tugging at Arthur’s jacket and belt to take them off.

“Hang on, just give me a second,” Arthur panted as he tried to close the door behind them. He quickly shed his jacket and kicked off his shoes. They were a fumbling mess of hands as they both stripped, trying to help each down to bare skin.

The moment Eames’ hands touched Arthur’s naked chest, it felt like lightning tingled across all his nerve endings. He staggered and caught himself on the wall, grabbing Eames as he stumbled, too.

“Fuck, will it always be like this?” Arthur gasped and Eames shrugged.

“I don’t think so, but are you complaining?” he asked as he pulled Arthur towards the bed. They toppled onto it, landing in a tangle of limbs, and Eames dropped a bottle of lube and a condom on the covers.

Eames maneuvered them around and Arthur let himself be manhandled into position until he was stretched out with Eames settled between his thighs. Their cocks were sandwiched between them and Arthur thought he might come just from the heat of their bodies pressed together.

Eames’ smell was all around him, filling his nose, working it’s way into his skin; Arthur marveled that he could have ever thought anyone smelled as good to him as Eames did.

He bit down on Eames’ shoulder, earning a grunt and a jerk of hips in response. He wrapped his legs around Eames and thrust a few times. The friction of their erections rubbing together was delicious enough to make his toes curl.

“I hope you realize that this is going to be embarrassingly quick,” Eames muttered as he raised himself up on one elbow and slid his other hand underneath Arthur to squeeze his ass.

“You’ll make it up to me the next round,” Arthur replied as Eames pulled his hand free and spread some of the lube on his fingers.

“And the one after that, and the one after that,” Eames whispered as he leaned back down to nibble the column of Arthur’s neck.

“There goes your ego, making promises you can’t keep,” Arthur said, trailing off with a sharp breath as Eames worked a slicked finger along the crack of Arthur’s ass to press against the opening there.

“My ego would never,” Eames said, then captured Arthur’s mouth in a rough, claiming kiss. They continued to kiss, hungrily, and slowly shifted their hips in minute thrusts as Eames worked first one, then two fingers inside Arthur as gently as he could.

The delay was agony, when everything in Arthur was screaming that he needed Eames inside him  _ now _ . He wriggled restlessly underneath Eames’ heavier frame, reveling in the feeling of being held down and consumed by his  _ mate _ .

“Enough. You, inside me,” Arthur ordered. Eames started to argue, but apparently decided against it. He raised up to his knees while Arthur tore open the condom package. He rolled it down over Eames’ cock, enjoying the shudder that drew from Eames at the touch. After taking a few breaths, Eames spread some extra lube over the condom, then lifted Arthur’s legs higher around his torso.

They paused that way for a moment, their gazes locked, panting breaths warm between them. Arthur felt like one of them would say something, then he felt a wave of  _ contentmentlovejoylust _ through the fledgling bond and realized they didn’t need to say anything at all.

Eames lined up his cock at Arthur’s hole and pressed slowly forward. The initial pressure took Arthur’s breath away and he forced himself to relax. A few seconds later and Eames was settled fully inside him.

Eames bent forward to kiss him again and Arthur felt like a fire flared to life in his chest. He broke away from the kiss and looked down, half expecting to see flames on his skin. The warmth spread, evening out to a gentle burn along his skin, intensified at each point that Eames was touching him.

Eames pulled part way out and thrust back in and Arthur saw fireworks. He dug his heels into Eames’ back and wrapped one hand tightly around the nape of his neck, holding him close. Eames got the hint and began moving faster, pulling almost all the way out and snapping back in.

Arthur knew he would be sore from this, but it felt better than anything he had ever experienced. He could feel every inch of Eames pressing against him, could sense the emotions rushing through both of their minds.

_ Mine _

_ Heat _

_ Love _

_ Incredible _

_ Too much _

_ Not enough _

_ Need _

_ More _

_ Give _

Eames reached down and took Arthur’s cock in his hand, still slick with lube. Arthur arched up off the bed after only a few strokes, his mouth open in a wordless cry as his orgasm ripped through him like a tidal wave.

Eames slipped one arm underneath Arthur to lift him to higher as his thrusts came harder and faster, panting as his eyes flashed yellow. Instinctively, Arthur angled his head away, baring his neck. Eames growled and pressed close against Arthur, his breath ragged in Arthur’s ear. When his orgasm hit, Eames thrust fully inside Arthur, pushing him into the mattress as he bit down hard on the juncture of Arthur’s neck and shoulder.

Arthur cried out as another, smaller orgasm caught him by surprise. He grabbed Eames’ hair and held his head in place as they both rode out the last waves of pleasure.

When they had stopped trembling and could move again, Eames pulled slowly out of Arthur and dropped to the bed beside him. Arthur reached up with shaking fingers and gingerly touched the bite, knowing he was going to have a very conspicuous bruise there.

Satisfaction poured off Eames and Arthur rolled towards him, kissing him softly on the shoulder as he settled in the crook of Eames’ arm. They lay there, quietly enjoying the closeness for several minutes. Arthur was debating whether or not he should clean up or just go to sleep, when Eames spoke.

“How many rounds of that do you think we can squeeze into the next two days?” he asked. Arthur laughed and stretched, grimacing slightly at the aches already forming.

“Too many might kill us. That was intense,” he replied.

“True. But I’m still up for the challenge,” Eames said with a smug grin.

“After some sleep. And some food. And a hot shower, which I may let you join me for, if you behave.”

“Love, when have you  _ ever _ known me to behave?” Eames asked.

“Never, but with that kind of sex as incentive, I think I could train you,” Arthur joked.

“Arthur, with that kind of sex as incentive, you could convince me to run around Buckingham Palace completely starkers while telling the queen she should try on my  _ crown jewels _ ,” Eames admitted.

“Maybe we’ll try that tomorrow,” Arthur said as he yawned. Eames got up to dispose of the condom and got a wet towel from the bathroom. He wiped them both down, then pulled the covers up as he climbed back into bed.

“Sleep. Then we’ll see about the food and shower,” Eames promised as Arthur snuggled beside him, tangling their legs together.

He drifted to sleep quickly, lulled by Eames’ body heat and the reassurance of the bond thrumming between them.

+_+_+_+

Arthur walked into the office two days later, fidgeting with his collar in an attempt to hide the bruise that Eames’ bite had left on his neck.

Dom smirked at him as he settled at his desk, but managed to refrain from saying anything. Eames, on the other hand, was not so restrained.

“Dom! Good morning! It’s amazing what two days of sex does for one’s outlook on life,” Eames called out as he came in, and Arthur choked on the swallow of coffee he had just taken.

“I really was trying to pretend that you and Arthur spent those two days reading,” Dom replied dryly. Eames laughed as he slapped Arthur’s back a few times to help clear the coffee from his lungs..

Arthur turned and gave Eames a look that had the alpha immediately looking contrite as he settled into a chair across from Arthur and began going through one of the files.

“So what is the bond like? Can you read each other's minds now?” Dom asked after a moment.

“Don't be absurd,” Arthur said. 

“You're calling me absurd? That's rich coming from a guy who made it more than thirty years in life without knowing he was half wolf and is now bonded to a full blooded alpha that he has barely tolerated for the last four years,” Dom retorted.

Arthur opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when Eames gently placed a hand on his arm.

“You know he’s got you there, darling,” Eames said with a soft smile. Arthur rolled his eyes and focused on his computer.

“It isn’t telepathy. It’s just… knowing, if you will, whatever is going on in his mind. Emotions, senses, needs… it’s hard to explain,” Eames told Dom.

“So it’s like you’re hard-wired into each others ids,” Dom replied.

“That’s the simplest way to think of it, yes,” Arthur agreed.

“I wonder how this will affect you in dreams,” Dom said. Arthur and Eames both looked at him and then each other, suddenly curious.

“Have there been any bonded pairs in dreamshare before?” Eames asked and Arthur shook his head.

“No, not where both mates were in the business.”

“You guys have to test this out. This could take dreamshare to a completely different level,” Dom said, starting to pace as he excitedly considered the possibilities.

“Dom, how about we just finish this job first, okay? Then Eames and I are going to be off the radar for a while. We’ll see about revolutionizing the business when we get back,” Arthur said and Dom waved his hand dismissively.

“Sure, sure,” he agreed, but he was scribbling furiously in a notebook, and Arthur didn’t need to see what he was writing to know it was ideas and plans and tests they could run.

Arthur leaned over and gave Eames a quick kiss, then whispered, “He only knows about a couple of my safe houses, so we can definitely go somewhere he can’t interrupt us after this job.”

“Perfect, because I don’t plan on letting you out of bed for at least a week,” Eames replied and brushed a finger across Arthur’s jaw.

“I’m not sure that’s logical, but I’ll go with it.”

“You and I are bonded now, so at what point did you think logic was any part of this equation?” Eames replied.

“With you, Mr. Eames, logic wasn’t a part of the equation even before the bond.”

“Oy, I am very logical when circumstances call for it,” Eames argued and Arthur smothered a smile.

He thought about how drastically his life had changed over the course of a few months. Marcus had been right - Arthur needed someone who would keep him on his toes, and Eames would do just that. What Marcus couldn’t have known, what even Arthur hadn’t realized, was that he was just what Eames needed to stay grounded.

Whoever had thought up the line about opposites attracting must have had a dream about he and Eames.

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone was wondering:
> 
> ~ This is [Eames the wolf](https://40.media.tumblr.com/0390b21b60f26c214500dfea4426dbbf/tumblr_n7ltjrNsUu1t0p1bco1_500.jpg)  
> ~ This is an explanation of [earthshine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetshine#Earthshine)


End file.
